The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

160 – 160. Eternal Sleep (3)

The spear of cold air and the great sword,

Death collided with death.

Whooom—.

As the same divinity clashed, the frigid atmosphere resonated.

The sight of the monster wielding a spear and a great sword evoked images of noble ladies attending a ball. It displayed a beauty too exquisite to merely define as a brutal melee that mindlessly took the lives of its opponents.

Thwack!!

The b*stard sword was deflected.

In the clash accompanied by force, the monster was defeated.

It was an expected outcome.

Elizabeta, the vessel, possessed below-average physical abilities. Her strength was so feeble that it could not even match that of a young boy.

Continuing a rough hand-to-hand combat in such a frail body was an act of suicide. Surely, soon, she would be met with excruciating pain and a backlash throughout her entire body.

“I’ll chop you up from head to toe!”

-How arrogant, nameless monster. Do you truly think I would engage in battle without any chance of victory?

Kicking off the ground to create distance, the monster extended one hand.

Crack—.

It grasped the outstretched hand.

And as it pulled back the grasped hand, it drew something out.

“Cough! You, you wretch…!!”

The monster’s advance, clutching the spear of coldness with both hands, momentarily halted. A sharp pain and nausea surged as if its slender fingers were recklessly tearing through its own belly.

A black current, as dark as the night sky, flowed out from the monster’s body and lingered in the air. Eventually, the black mass split into several strands and was absorbed by the vessel.

The divinity of death.

The power that the monster had stolen alongside the miracles of the saint.

It was akin to extraction.

Even a brief clash while wielding the weapon had cost it some of the divinity of death. The monster gnashed its teeth as it felt the black current flowing out from its abdomen.

-Indeed, you and Elizabeta boast an exceptional synergy. I had my doubts, but I truly didn’t expect it to succeed!

The greatest factor determining the outcome of tug-of-war is the strength of the participants.

Strength.

The physicality of pulling the rope takes precedence above all.

However, that does not mean physicality alone completely dictates the outcome of tug-of-war. Skills and proficiency, including physicality, would also play a significant role in the chances of victory.

-You nameless monster, the power of death you have swallowed is my body and soul. Naturally, my call must take precedence above all else.

Skills and proficiency.

No one could follow the calamity that lay before him.

The original body yet a fragment.

Stolen possessions rightfully belong to their original owner.

As the calamity beckoned, the deity of death, unjustly suppressed by the monster, attempted to escape. Beatrice, who inherently possessed the miracles of a saint, was an unsuitable vessel, akin to an antithesis, causing the deity of death to display even more hostility towards the monster.

“Are you trying to regain power from me…? Don’t make me laugh; it was you who brought me into existence.”

Crack—.

A black vortex halted in midair.

The calamity widened its eyes.

The deity of death, seeking to return to its original owner, decided on neutrality. It seemed to declare that it would not firmly side with either party at this moment.

-Indeed, is that so? I understand… You are quite the greedy one, my original body.

The power reclaimed from the monster was merely a quarter.

The remaining strength still belonged to the monster.

I will not allow any more.

I shall transfer complete control of the deity only to the victor of this battle.

The deity of death, who had briefly awakened from eternal slumber, displayed an absurd whim. The calamity, perceiving this, twisted its beautiful face into a bitter smile.

-Next is your turn, War. I will continue to bind the deity of death.

-Agreed.

If the calamity continued to take the forefront, much burden would be placed on Elizabeth. Thus, Edanant willingly stepped forward, accepting the calamity’s proposal.

Edanant took the lead.

The monster, too, grasped its spear of frost, preparing for battle.

* * *

The exploratory skirmish to gauge each other’s strength and limits had now become meaningless.

I know.

How to confront.

And with what attack to bring down.

Edanant and the monster clenched their fists, vividly envisioning the images that had only faintly surfaced in their minds. They aimed to unleash their maximum strength in a single blow.

“Open the gates, divine death.”

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

With the activation of the incantation, a total of four magic circles unfolded in the air.

Divine magic stained in pitch black.

It is a bizarre divine magic that encompasses the miracles of the saint and the calamity of death.

Originally, divine magic was so intricate and complex that only the priests and nuns of the Holy Kingdom could barely step into the realm of beginners by dedicating their youth. However, the monster birthed high-level divine magic solely through the power of incantation.

Paaah-.

From a pure white womb, flowers of red spider lilies with black petals bloomed.

These blooming spider lilies transformed into plasma radiating fierce energy, flying directly toward Edanant.

– This is maddening…! Just how much stronger can it get?

Edanant crossed his gloved hands and summoned cannons boasting massive barrels.

Crackle.

Lightning concentrated from numerous gun ports.

To intercept the plasma flying in a straight line, he unleashed a barrage of bullets with metal tangents that focused the lightning. As the electromagnetic cannon that had brought down the archangel erupted, an overwhelming heat energy poured forth, as if it would instantly melt the metal.

───!!

───────!!!

They unleashed their strongest strikes.

The collision of plasma and the electromagnetic cannon signaled destruction to the Demon King’s castle, which had barely maintained its form.

Rumble-.

The explosive force that spread forward concentrated mostly downward.

As if to prove this, a thunderous roar echoed, and the lower levels of the Demon King’s castle began to collapse.

A large-scale collapse unfolded, akin to a high-rise building beginning demolition work. Yet, Edanant and the monster continued their full-frontal battle, solely focused on each other.

“Hm.”

Swoosh-.

Wings sprouted from behind the monster.

A pure white feathered wing extended to the left.

A pitch-black membranous wing extended to the right.

The wings were also alien, showcasing that it was a chaotic variant born from the deities of creation and disaster. The monster flapped both wings vigorously, gaining an advantage in height.

– Ugh!

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Edanant, who had fallen below, soared upward.

No wings,

No flight magic.

Thus, he resorted to the brute force of explosive power to ascend.

A frenzied acrobatics unfolded, triggering a chain of explosions as it charged forward. Witnessing the reckless advance, accompanied by thunderous booms and blasts, a hot ecstasy overflowed from the monster’s beautiful face.

“Edanant! Edanant, Edanant!!”

So,

You want to kill me?

Even to the point of surrendering your body to the explosions like a comet in the night sky?

I am happy.

A warm exhilaration even swirled in my chest.

I know full well that this is a desperate attempt to save that foolish woman.

Yet, for some reason, the fierce intent to kill felt like pure, untainted love. The current Edanant, filled with murderous intent and madness, was looking only at herself.

—Try to kill me! I’m right here!!

I must respond to that heart.

Yes,

With everything I have.

Escape?

Such a choice never existed from the start.

If I wait for Edanant, who relies solely on explosive power to continue her flight, to tire herself out while widening the distance, I could secure victory. That would be the most efficient method available to me now.

However, I dismissed it as irrelevant.

The nameless monster squeezed out only the resolve to smash Edanant head-on.

“Edanant!!!”

Fwoosh—.

A spark ignited.

The flames that erupted from both hands transformed into a blazing fire, as if to represent emotions more intense than ever before.

The sacred fire of creation. The black flames of disaster.

In the final moments, the monster drew its divinity to the limit.

The flames ignited from its grasp coiled like a viper, enveloping its shoulders. With all its strength concentrated, the monster spread its wings to confront Edanant.

—Let’s end this.

Clang.

As the armor of misfortune split into several parts, the plate armor fell away.

Shoulder. Arm. Chest. Abdomen. Leg.

From within those gaps, numerous bullets and missiles were launched from the deployed launchers.

No other weapons are needed.

The armor that has shared life and death with me until now is the ultimate weapon and my last bastion.

Whooom.

As the breastplate split apart, particles of the cursed liquid rose up. Once the trigger was activated, all the bullets and missiles embedded in the armor would fly toward the target in unison.

“Edanant!!”

—Sleep now, monster.

The monochrome flames, dyed in shades of gray, sublimated into a burst of light.

And with the trigger pulled, a barrage of over seventy bullets and missiles commenced their assault.

Cross counter.

The full force of our strikes collided against each other.

It was a blow that lacked nothing in marking the final moment that would determine the outcome of the battle.